Subjects and Learning Goals

Kindergarten is a year of exploration! 5-6 year olds learn best through play and discovery…and that is just what we will do! Children will engage in Literacy, Mathematical, Science, and Technology activities that will allow them to build and practice skills necessary for older grades. Children also experience daily specials such as Spanish, Library, Music, Art, Physical Education, and Computers.

Along with these academic subjects, much of kindergarten is gaining and practicing Social Skills. Children learn these skills through direct instruction from teachers, as well as through naturally occurring experiences throughout the day. Below is a general overview of skills and content we will learn throughout the year.

Literacy Skills:

  • Active Listening, Read Alouds

  • Phonological Processing (Syllables, Rhyming, Alliteration, Segmenting, Blending, etc)

  • Letter Identification, Sounds, and Symbols

  • Identifying the beginning, ending and eventually middle sounds of spoken words

  • Handwriting

  • Sight Words (words we know at first sight: is, it, the, see,...)

  • Decoding Words

  • Phonics/Spelling

  • Guided/Leveled Reading

  • Describing Connections Between Text and Illustrations

  • Comprehension and Retelling of text

  • Writing in a Variety of Genres

  • Conventional use of Capitalization and Punctuation

Science Skills:

  • Frequent opportunities and materials to explore the natural world, ask questions, and engage curiosity

  • Using basic tools to gather data and extend the senses (tweezers, magnifying glass, scales, etc.)

  • Using Scientific Vocabulary

  • Making Observations and Predictions

  • Documenting and observing change over time

  • Engaging with experieniments

Units of Study:

  • Life Cycles (butterflies , pumpkins, frogs, seeds and plants)

  • Living vs. Non-Living Things

  • Animals, Habitats, needs for survival

  • Gardening and Composting

  • Weather

Mathematical Skills:

  • Number Sense

  • Counting by 1's, 5's, and 10's

  • Comparing Numbers

  • Identifying Numbers and Quantities

  • Recognizing Patterns and Geometric Shapes

  • Measurement and Classification

  • Data Collection

  • Early Addition and Subtraction Concepts

  • Working with Teen Numbers to gain Foundation for Place Value

  • Real Life Applications:

    • Calendars

    • Every Day Uses

    • Time

Social/Emotional Skills:

  • "Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated"

  • Conversational Skills

  • Taking and Waiting Turns

  • Cooperative Play and Interactions with Peers

  • Following Directions, Limits, and Expectations

  • Identifying the "size of a problem" and matching it with the correct reactions

  • Accepts Responsibility for Actions

  • Skills for Learning

    • Focusing, persistence, assertiveness

  • Empathy

  • Self-Regulation, Self Control

  • Emotion Management

  • Using Simple Strategies to Resolve Conflicts and Problems

  • Making and Maintaining Friendships

  • Tattling vs. Reporting

Executive Functioning

Kindergartners will spend all year learning and practicing skills to support executive functioning skills.

These are a set of mental skills that help you get things done. These skills are controlled by an area of the brain called the frontal lobe. Executive function helps you:

  • Manage time

  • Pay attention

  • Switch focus

  • Plan and organize

  • Remember details

  • Avoid saying or doing the wrong thing

  • Do things based on experiences

Executive function can be divided into two groups:

  • Organization: Gathering information and structuring it for evaluation

  • Regulation: Taking stock of your surroundings and changing behavior in response to it

Warning signs that a child may have difficulty with executive function skills include trouble with:

  • Starting activities or tasks

  • Planning projects

  • Estimating how much time a task will take to complete

  • Telling stories (verbally or in writing)

  • Memorizing, Remembering

Here is a blank sample of Sunderland Elementary School's Kindergarten Report Card.